Big boost for panmure commuters

New transport interchange a big step in the right direction.

Panmure's new $17.5m transport interchange was officially opened on Saturday 18 January. The new bus and train station, which will be the gateway to a high frequency busway, is a significant step towards better transport connections for Auckland’s eastern suburbs.

The interchange will allow easy and direct transfers between rail and bus, making life easier and the commute that little bit shorter for people living and working in the area.

The interchange is part of the Auckland Manukau Eastern Transport Initiative (AMETI) and its completion marks the first stage of the Southeastern Busway between Panmure, Pakuranga and Botany. The next stage will see the creation of the busway lanes along Lagoon Drive and Pakuranga Road to a new bus station at Pakuranga town centre.

The busway will offer passengers faster and more reliable travel times by freeing buses from traffic congestion. It will better connect people in the area to trains to the city and the south.

The new interchange is expected to become an important transport hub for Auckland. Last year AMETI was identified as part of the Government’s programme of transport projects to be accelerated in the city.

Panmure is currently one of the busiest rail stations in the region with about 1700 passengers a day, and has grown rapidly since 2003 when it was used by less than 100 passengers a day.

Features at the interchange include a new central pedestrian plaza linking both sides of the rail tracks, two lifts, escalators to both platforms and four sets of stairs at the main access points. Ticket machines have been installed on both platforms with a staffed ticket office on the ground floor.

AMETI is Auckland Transport’s largest construction project which, when complete, will see the delivery of the first major infrastructure in the area for a number of years.

The next stage of the project will unlock further benefits for transport in the area once the Panmure roundabout is removed and a busway from Panmure to Pakuranga town centre is built. The NZ Transport Agency and Auckland Council are major funders of AMETI.